U.S. Defense Chief Outlines Closer Southeast Asia Ties

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei–U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel outlined a series of proposals on Thursday to improve military cooperation and joint exercises in Southeast Asia, part of the American effort to draw closer to nations in the region and improve the prowess of their armed forces.

Associated Press

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said working together leads to what is needed “to solve today’s complex problems.”

Addressing defense ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other Asian military leaders, Mr. Hagel praised the expanded joint military exercises that are taking place this year, and prodded the countries to expand further.

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“Working together develops regional capacity and the habits of cooperation we need to solve today’s complex problems,” Mr. Hagel told the meeting, according to a copy of his prepared remarks. “Exercising together builds trust and understanding, and reduces the risk of conflict when disputes arise.”

The gathering, known as the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus, brings military leaders from Japan, China, South Korea, Russia and the United States to discuss regional issues with Southeast Asian countries.

In recent years, The U.S. has been prodding ASEAN to be more focused on security issues and has helped the association to organize a series of multilateral military exercises.

Outlining a series of proposals to improve current military exercises and operations, Mr. Hagel urged the Asian nations, working with the U.S., to develop standardized procedures for humanitarian and disaster relief operations, which could improve communications and command-and-control during a real-world crisis.

He also pushed for more multilateral counter-terrorism operations as well as improved information sharing. He offered to share military medicine technologies that the U.S. developed during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

The U.S. also renewed its push for following international protocols to reduce maritime conflicts. The U.S. is worried that territorial disputes in the South China Sea could lead to a confrontation that could evolve into a larger crisis.

While he praised work between ASEAN and China on a new “Code of Conduct” for the region, he said that all nations operating in the area should follow International Collision Regulations, in effect a maritime rules of the road. Mr. Hagel told the delegates that the regulations do not favor any nation.

“They apply to civilian, military, and government vessels. And they can help prevent conflicts from escalating,” he said.

The U.S. has tried to focus its work in Southeast Asia on countering terrorists and pirates as well as building up its partners’ abilities to respond to humanitarian crisis. On Thursday, Mr. Hagel added cyber criminals to the list, as well as pointedly singling out North Korea for putting the entire Asia-Pacific region “in peril.”

“Pirates and terrorists, proliferators, diseases, natural disasters, and cyber criminals are not contained by national borders, and they will jeopardize all of our futures if we fail to act together,” he said.

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Indonesia Real Time provides analysis and insight into the region, which includes Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Brunei. Contact the editors at SEAsia@wsj.com.

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